NFL Draft prospect of the day: Western Michigan CB Darius Phillips

Darius Phillips, CB, Western Michigan

Height: 5-10

Weight: 190 (from school program)

Darius Phillips carved a name for himself as one of the most exciting players in college football the last two seasons. A converted wide receiver, Phillips scored more non-offensive touchdowns than any player in 2016-17.

He played primarily press-man coverage in Western Michigan’s scheme. Phillips had a knack for being around the ball, picking off 12 passes in his three seasons on the defense and breaking up another 35. The Detroit native was also a top-flight return man, earning All-American honors in his sophomore campaign.

More of my notes here are from seeing Phillips firsthand than from watching game film, as I attended seven WMU games in the last three years, including two last fall.

Pros

Big play producer

As noted above, Phillips notched 12 interceptions in three years. He also forced four fumbles, including this bit of thievery against Michigan State.

He’s very aggressive in attacking the football, while it’s in the air as well as in run support. His dynamic open-field speed shows in the return, too.

Play bigger than size

When you watch Phillips play you’ll have no idea he’s just 5-10/190. He carries himself like a bigger person, with a well-defined physique and confident posture. He uses his arms and leaping ability very well in coverage. Phillips likes to use a stiff-arm tackling technique and he has very strong shoulders and hands relative to his size and position. From my notes on the Idaho game,

Phillips didn’t see much action in coverage, but his tackling was outstanding. He has great strength in his shoulders and extended arm, able to jolt ball carriers. Phillips leverages blocks well and uses the same instant burst he uses to get interceptions to close on the ball.

He’s not a good form tackler or the most assertive in chasing down the ball when it’s not run right at him, but it’s a mistake to call him “soft” or “weak”.

Twitchy athleticism

He’s a kinetic wonder, very fast to top speed and able to change direction quickly and fluidly. Phillips has fast hands and feet, often flashing excellent quickness to react to the action around him. He has above-average body control while at full speed and can recover quickly if he’s initially beaten. His click-and-close ability with the ball in the air might be best in class.

Cons

Grabby in coverage

Phillips enjoys being physical, but he often takes things too far. Even though he’s not a stiff athlete, he often winds up being too upright when receivers make their breaks. As a result, he latches on and grabs. He gets away with holding and illegal contact (which isn’t a penalty in college) a great deal, as on plays like this one. He was flagged twice in the Idaho game last fall, though one was nullified.

Not instinctive in coverage

Phillips is a baiter of quarterbacks much more than he is a natural cover man. It shows that he has only played CB for three years as he is often using his great athleticism to react to the action rather than anticipating routes. If he’s not looking into the backfield he doesn’t see or feel the ball well, unable to pick up on receiver cues and with no real clock in his head on routes.

Overall

Phillips definitely intrigues with his big-play mentality and exceptional return skills, both on defense and special teams. He’s very confident and has a knack for making highlight-reel impact plays.

Those big plays belie his relatively rudimentary coverage skills. When he can see both the quarterback and his coverage mark, Phillips is quite effective and dangerous. When he has to choose one or the other, he often loses.

I see him as a zone-heavy outside corner who could also play press-man in a base Tampa-2 defense, but that is not a common scheme right now. If he were bigger and a better tackler, a move to free safety would suit Phillips well. It might anyway.

His electric return skills are a nice hedge against any failure to develop further as a cover man. At worst he’ll be a great special teams weapon and solid dime back.